


A Lifesaver

by Nautilusopus



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Secret Santa 2017, i'm sorry i can't into romance properly, pearl diving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-18 20:16:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13107756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nautilusopus/pseuds/Nautilusopus
Summary: Prompt: Tifa and Aerith meet under other circumstances on the beach in Costa del Sol.





	A Lifesaver

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sanctum_c](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctum_c/gifts).



> Don't ask me how Aeris even got to Costa del Sol without Cloud meeting her in the church thus inspiring her to fight Shinra with him while looking for Tifa together because he fell from the plate during a bombing mission for Avalanche which Tifa convinced him to be a part of in the first place, because I don't actually know. Don't think too hard about it. 
> 
> I have no idea what I'm doing with this I'M SORRY.

Maybe Ancients didn't actually need to sleep. Maybe it was something she'd just gotten used to doing over the years, so she just assumed it was required, and it was something she could do without, and she could live off the Planet's energy or the sun or something. Aeris certainly hoped so, because she'd officially gone thirty-six hours without a bit of it.

They'd had enough of a close call in Junon, and they had wanted to put a lot more distance between themselves and Shinra before they stopped for a rest. Everyone had been keeping themselves running with a combination of energy drinks and magic, and the headache from spell exhaustion and a caffeine crash combined was nigh-unbearable.

They'd checked themselves into one of the cheaper hotels -- which was still absurdly expensive, due to the fact that Costa del Sol was a resort town.

"That's it," said Aeris, kicking her boots off and jumping into the bed with her clothes still on. "I'm not moving another inch. You guys can come get me later."

Unsurprisingly, no one seemed inclined to disagree, and everyone collapsed into one of the two beds, too tired to care who else was in it.

When Aeris woke up, the beds were empty. It figured everyone had bailed the minute they'd reached somewhere with running water and vending machines. Still, she at least thought Red would have woken her up.

The only one she ran into on the way to the beach was Yuffie, who appeared to have gotten a part-time job in the last few hours. "Beaches are overrated," she'd said when prompted and asked if she'd wanted to go swimming with her. "I can go home and check out a beach any old time I want. Investment opportunities, on the other hand..."

So that left Aeris alone at the beach, watching as her skin steadily turned brown, and then pink. There had been a lot of other booths on the way here selling things made from shells and driftwood and the teeth of various animals. Perhaps she'd buy a few as gifts. She watched as a woman with close-cropped hair dove off a pier and disappeared beneath the waves. She'd have to track down Yuffie or Cloud later. She'd always wanted to go swimming, but she wasn't entirely sure how, and besides, it didn't seem much fun on your own.

She'd have to get a swimsuit first, she realised. Or at least something a bit lighter than the dress she'd been wearing. Everyone really only had two or three outfits for the road, and while this dress had been dunked in river water often enough to leave it slightly dingy, she wasn't about to add to the problem with sea water. It had been a while since they'd been in a town that wasn't completely overrun with military personnel. Perhaps she could buy some clothes, too.

It suddenly occurred to her that it had been well over two minutes and she hadn't seen the woman resurface.

She looked around -- the beach was empty. She could run and get someone, but by the time she got back it could very well be too late. She fumbled with the laces on her boots and sprinted into the waves.

The water was a lot colder than she thought it would be, considering how warm it was outside. She waded out as far as she could before her feet could no longer touch the bottom, took a deep breath, cursed herself for not noticing someone was drowning sooner, and dove under.

The first thing that struck her as odd was that there didn't seem to be any bodies laying on the ocean floor. The second thing was that the woman was in fact staring directly at her, not struggling for air in any way and seeming mildly surprised. She waved. Aeris waved back. Perhaps she'd simply taken a breath when Aeris wasn't looking.

Feeling a bit foolish, she turned around and attempted to return to the shore, only to find the water much higher over her head than she had remembered it and with nothing to kick off below her. She began to thrash wildly in an attempt to claw her way to the surface, but it was getting a lot harder to move with her lungs burning and her vision beginning to spot. She probably should have thought this through.

A hand suddenly hooked around her waist, and she found herself being pulled back up towards the surface. A moment later, and she was being hauled back onto the pier, spitting out seawater as a warm hand rubbed her back.

"You alright?" asked the woman. "I would've done something sooner, but I didn't realise you were having trouble."

"Could say the same for you," said Aeris between coughs. "Never saw you come back up. Dumb mistake."

The woman frowned. "You didn't...?"

"And, obviously, if I'd run and gotten someone, you could've been dead by then, and obviously you're fine," she said quickly, "so I hope I haven't interrupted, er...?"

The woman was laughing now. "It's alright. I work here," she said, patting a pouch tied to her leg. "I'm a pearl diver. Tourists pay big money for that kind of thing, you know. Local charm and all."

"Oh!" That certainly explained how she hadn't drowned, at any rate. "Well... I'll let you get back to the diving, then," said Aeris, as her teeth began to chatter. How was she this cold? It had been sweltering before she'd gone in the water.

"Were those your _clothes_ clothes?" the woman asked suddenly, looking a bit guilty.

"Yup," said Aeris, shrugging. "They'll dry soon enough."

"I could let you borrow some of mine. I live pretty close by," she said. "And I figure I owe you one, since you did valiantly save my life," she added, smiling a bit.

"Oh, thanks!" said Aeris brightly. "What's your name, anyway?"

"Tifa," she replied. "You don't swim much, do you?"

"I'm Aeris. And not yet," she said, as Tifa began to lead her away from the beach. "I think I might make a habit of it, though. Are you here all year round?"

"Yeah. I moved here about five years ago," said Tifa. "Grew up in the mountains. Good lung capacity and all. Plus, swimming is fun."

“It looks fun,” said Aeris, as she was led inside a condominium and up a couple flights of stairs, trying and failing not to track sand all over the stairs. “You don’t mind if I use your shower, do you?”

“My -- oh, of course!” said Tifa, quickly looking away after apparently realising she’d been staring. “Pull out the knob before turning it if you want hot water.”

By the time Aeris emerged from the shower there was clean shirt and some shorts waiting for her on the toilet seat. It was a bit big on her -- Tifa’s limbs weren’t quite as noodly as hers -- but they were soft and smelled nice and, most importantly, were dry.

Tifa looked up at her guiltily as she emerged from the bathroom. “I would’ve told you before, but I didn’t want to barge in while you were washing. But, um...” Tifa held up what Aeris recognised to be her PHS, which had been in her pocket when she’d ran into the ocean. Whoops.

“I was supposed to keep in contact with everyone,” fretted Aeris, before realising that on top of going off the grid, she’d also wandered off into a stranger’s home with no warning. “I’ll have to let them know I’m okay.” She was surprised to find how disappointed she was at having to leave this early. Tifa seemed nice.

“Should I get your clothes? I mean, they’re still in the wash, but -- “

“Leave them,” said Aeris suddenly. “You’re coming with me, obviously. Since I saved your life and all.”

Tifa smiled. “Lead the way, then.”


End file.
